


Divided We...Nope, Even Apart, We’re Avengers.

by FawnoftheWoods



Series: Not Alone Anymore [19]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Avengers as family, Counselor Sam Wilson, Extremis, F/M, Fix-It, Hurt Steve Rogers, Hurt Tony Stark, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, PTDS, Protective Steve Rogers, Protective Tony Stark, Team Dynamics, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony takes care of his people
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-26
Updated: 2019-02-01
Packaged: 2019-04-28 06:41:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14443566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FawnoftheWoods/pseuds/FawnoftheWoods
Summary: Several scenes between Iron Man 3 and Captain America Winter Soldier for my series.





	1. Thank you for coming.

**Author's Note:**

> Several scenes between Iron Man 3 and Captain America Winter Soldier (Which I will be writing a fic for)
> 
> This will make no sense without my series, I'm sorry guys. Cannon Iron Man 3 drove me crazy so I rewrote it.
> 
> I'm half posting this cuz I had a fial today and I love celebrating a final by posting a story on AO3.

Tony winced as he shifted on the seat.  Pepper was in the examination room with Bruce and the other doctor.  Initial studies showed that keeping her calm would help with the extremis and its tendency to explode, but it couldn’t be trusted for long.  Tony was working out his equation that he had left Mary all those years ago. He hated trying to decipher his drunk thoughts. They usually worked, but half the time he hadn’t a clue why they worked.  That’s why DUM-E was as goofy as he was. Tony only worked on his code when very, very drunk.

Now he was trying to retrace what his subconscious mind had instinctively understood.  While one of the most important people in his life was in danger. He needed help. Bruce was good.  He had no idea what Tony was talking about on paper, but he’d understood much of extremis when they had looked over the files on the plane.  

He hadn’t even had to ask Bruce to help, the man had simply asked for the files and then started reviewing them.  But Bruce wasn’t medical, despite the team treating him as such. Tony glanced at the door to the examination room one more time before getting up.  

He stepped into a side alcove for some privacy and called JARVIS up on his ear piece.  “Hey Bud. Can you connect me to Cecilia?”

“Tracking, sir.”

Tony closed his eyes and leaned back.  He had met Cecilia Reyes shortly after his 3 month vacation.  She’d been scared and a bit crazed. Like him, she’d just wanted to do what she could to help.  And she was a hell of a fine doctor.

“Hello?  This is Dr. Reyes.”  The voice on the phone was professional, competent and very welcome.

“Ceci?  Its Tony.”  Tony hadn’t realized how much watching Pepper going through all this was affecting him until he heard her on the phone.  Cecilia’s practice was internal medicine, but her specialty was as a surgeon, particularly on the pulmonary system. When Tony had found her shortly after Obadiah had been killed, he’d considered asking her about his palladium problem.  Ultimately, he had not been able to ask anyone.

Afterwards, especially with Pepper so upset, Tony had finally reached out to the woman and become her patient on a strictly confidential and situational status.  With his immune system as compromised as it was, he had needed the expertise. She’d become something of a confidante to him as she helped him with his health, first the results of the Afghanistan stay and then the alcoholism that was pickling his liver.  

She still maintained a practice in Bronx, it being her home, and Tony made enough anonymous donations to keep it running and keep her from charging her patients much.  She had spunk to her that appealed to Tony and when she thought he was abusing his body, she let him know. But she never pushed. Tony had needed that.

“Tony?  Oh thank god!  When I read the news, I almost fainted.  I’m so glad you are not dead.” Tony winced, he’d forgotten that the world at large still thought he was dead, since Pepper was here, none of them had dealt with that quite yet.

“Are you in New York?”

Cecilia was quiet for a moment as his question broke through her litany of gratitude for his survival.

“Where do you need me and what do I need to bring?”

That was Cecilia.  She wanted to help.  She always wanted to help.  And she didn’t push. Tony could barely believe she was only a few years younger than him, she always sounded a decade wiser.  Tony could just feel the whole last 24 hours rush at him.

“I don’t know.”  He gasped out.

“You don’t know where you are or you don’t know what I should bring?”

Tony chuckled as he knelt down, trying to catch his breath.  Dammit, this hadn’t become any more fun since Harley had triggered the last one.

“I- *gasp*  I don’t- *huff*  Not again-” Tony sunk down against the wall.  His ears were ringing as he felt the atmosphere swirl around him, drawing the air out of his lungs like a cyclone.

“-beginning of April.  It’s cold here in New York and DC, but Miami and Malibu are sunny and warm, or they will be when the sun rises in California.  It’s 5:24 in New York and Miami. Its 4:24 am in Chicago. Its 2:24 in Malibu.”

“T-tower.  I’m at the Tower.”

“Okay, good.  Can you look around and tell me three things that are blue near you?”  Cecilia’s calm voice echoed a bit but Tony looked around.

“Pants, reactor and...uh...st-sticker.”  Tony blinked as he struggled to focus.

“It’s a jeans day?  Good choice. Now take a deep breath and give me two things nearby that are soft.”  

Tony hiccupped at the deep breath, but blindly reached out.  A gentle hand grabbed his and placed it on something soft. Glancing up, he saw it was a t-shirt.

“T-sh-shirt.”  The chest under his hand moved slowly, deliberately and he tried to match the breathing as he clenched the phone to his ear.  “Hand.”

“Good, Tony.  Now, take a deep breath and as you let it out, tell me the 4th digit of pi.”  Cecilia’s words didn’t make sense of a moment, but he liked geometry. It made sense.  He took a deep breath.

“1 or 5”  He let the breath back out.  This time he was able to breath in with his companion.

“Better, Tony.  Much better. You are okay.”  Tony looked up at the concerned eyes of his team leader.  He should have expected Steve to notice when he all but collapsed against the wall.  He tuned back into the phone in his ear where Cecilia was still praising him.

“It’s Pepper.”  She was quiet for a moment as he sort of blurted much of the mess out.  She didn’t seem to need to ask many questions, so he must have gotten the important bits out.  “I know you didn’t want to get involved in Avenger business, but-”

“I’m packed and at the base of the Tower, Tony.  Just tell me what I need to make it through the entrance.”  

Tony let out a breath he hadn’t known he was holding.  “JARVIS. Just find an elevator. J will do the rest.”

She giggled.  Tony had always liked that she had a bit of a crush on JARVIS.  The AI was clueless to her flirting, but it was fun to watch.

“Do you have someone with you now?  Should I stay on the phone?” Tony looked up at Steve again.  The man was still kneeling in front of him, still and patient.

“No, I’m fine.”  He heard the snort at that phrase.  She’d been after him to remove that phrase from his vocabulary.  “Help Pepper.”

“I will, Tony.  I’m in the elevator.  What doctor would I ask for?”

“Banner.  Bruce Banner.”  He smiled at the hitch in her breath.  She had told him that Hulk was her favorite Avenger, after Iron Man of course.  Tony hung up as the elevator down the hall dinged.

He heard her voice speak to the receptionist, but JARVIS would have added her to the visitor’s list already.  He could trust them to take care of it.

“You did well, Tony.  Let us take the load here.”  Steve’s voice was calm and assured.  Tony shivered and closed his eyes a moment.

Then he nodded.

* * *

Steve had convinced Tony to drink a smoothie JARVIS had ordered along with their pizza order for the group.  Clint had a sprain to deal with and was likely out of commission for at least a few weeks. Tasha and Tony had serious burns.  Bruce hadn’t been in the fight, but he was tending to Pepper. He’d taken Steve aside briefly to let him know why the two had sent Tony to Malibu in the first place, back before this all began.  Steve promised to make sure the engineer ate and rested.

He also sent Natasha back to DC to cover their abrupt departure and report in to SHIELD that their Avengers hadn’t actually lost a member.  Phil was on his way and would be here in a few hours.

Tony was dozing on the couch after 36 hours of no caffeine when the woman Tony had called 8 hours ago stepped out with Bruce.  Steve rose quietly and went to join them.

“Hi,”  He motioned them to stay quiet and let Tony sleep.  He turned to the new woman. “I’m Steve Rogers.”

She reached out to shake his hand.  “Dr. Cecilia Reyes.”

“Thank you for coming in, Dr. Reyes.”  Steve glanced at Tony for a moment before looking back at the two doctors.   “How is Ms. Potts?”

“Better.”  Bruce whipped his glasses on his shirt.  “We’ve been able to stabilize Extremis in her body.”

“Pepper’s okay?”  All three looked over as Tony sat up.  Steve had the suspicion that the genius had been humoring Steve’s request to lay down.  Cecilia walked over to Tony and sat next to him.

“She’s better.  This formula you wrote down, it’s a step in forcing her immune system to take over Extremis instead of the other way around.”  She held out a dirty napkin with an equation on it.

“What?”  Tony took the napkin with trembling hands.  “It works?”

“Not exactly.”  Bruce came over.  “It helps the immune system integrate Extremis.  Treat extremis like a virus. Once it performs phagocytosis, both the new injection and the extremis become inert matter in the body.  We will have to watch for blood clots and circulation problems, but she should be fine.”

Tony practically melted off the couch in relief.  Steve moved forward, but Dr. Reyes caught the genius first.  “Pepper will be fine, you haven’t lost her. But you need to take care of yourself, Tony.”  Steve didn’t think Bruce could hear her quiet voice, but his hearing was superior.

“I-I know.  I just. I can’t lose her.”

“I know.  But she’s safe, you need a check up and I want to look at your lungs and heart.”  Cecilia’s soft words did what Steve’s requests hadn’t. Tony nodded, standing.

Steve gave him a small smile when he looked up.  Tony looked steady enough that he could go check on Clint.    Tony started walking as he muttered to Dr. Reyes. “I’ll check in with Pepper and we can use the room down the hall.”  He’d just passed Steve and Bruce in the hallway when he stopped.

“Thanks for coming guys.”

Tony hurried into the room before they could say anything.  Bruce simply sighed. “At least he’s getting checked out. Thank you for that, Cecilia.”

Dr. Reyes blushed and nodded.  Steve turned to them, “So, Pepper has the power of extremis now?  It’s stable?”

Both looked at each other before Bruce shook his head.  “No, Steve. What we were doing was removing Extremis. She’ll have it for the next couple of weeks.  Extremis was never going to be safe. Tony’s formula was to remove it safely.”

“It can’t be used.”  Dr. Reyes took up the explanation.  “Originally it was designed to regrow or heal a traumatic injury.  But once it’s activated by that injury, it becomes reactive to adrenaline.  As long as it hasn’t moved to that stage, we can remove it.”

Steve blinked, confused, “But Ms. Potts fell.  I saw her.”

“She wasn’t injured.  The Extremis was protecting her body from injury directly.  It didn’t have anything to heal. That aspect works fine, until something breaks through the protection.  Then it becomes unstable. It can temporarily be used as additional protection, but used as a regenerative...its not safe.”

Both men looked at Tony through the viewing window.  The genius was talking quietly to Pepper. Bruce smiled, “He really loves her.”

Steve and Cecilia nodded.

She was his family.


	2. To the Next Generation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wrap up for Harley from Iron Man 3.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short and sweet. I just finished a semester, finals and everything and I get my Quals for my PhD candidacy tomorrow. Wish me luck!!

Tony fingered the strap thoughtfully.  Pepper was sleeping on the bed. Behind him, he could hear Bruce and Cecilia talk quietly.  Steve had left to join Natasha in DC a few hours ago and Phil had taken Clint with him to California.  He’d promised to check in on Happy.

Everyone seemed to be taken care of.  Almost everyone.

“ _ Guess he won because that was six years ago” _

Tony could remember his father’s back on Christmas morning as he left for work, back when Tony got up for it early.  Back when he hoped to spend the day with his parents. Back before he learned that Stark came before Tony.

Howard may have come home each trip until Tony was 17, but he was rarely actually there.  He knew very little of Tony’s life.

“ _ How’d you know that?” _

He could remember sitting in school and listening to his teacher explain concepts he already knew to kids five years older than he was.  He could remember devouring books at first because his father would look at him. Then because there wasn’t anything else. 

The kids didn’t want to be around him.  He was too smart, too good, too right, too everything.  But everywhere there was always one kid who would come near.  He would poke and pinch until he annoyed Tony. He was the local bully.  Tony was odd man out so the bully picked him. Until his father found out.  Then everyone would ignore him.

“ _ Tony, he’s still alive! _ ”

He never hated the bullies.  They actually saw him. When Harley had pulled EJ out of the water, Tony couldn’t have been more struck by this kid’s heart.  He kept moving forward. Tony remembered doing that. First for his father, then his mother and then Jarvis. After their death it was for Rhodey and Pepper and Obie.  He could remember them trying to understand, well, maybe not Obie, but Pepper and Rhodey had continuously tried to reach out to him. They hadn’t managed it. Not until Tony lost everything in a bomb with his name on it.  With his father’s name on it. With his godfather’s blessing on it.

His parents walked out the door and never came back.  Javis and Anna lay in their bed and never woke up. 

“ _ So, you’re gonna leave me now, just like my dad?” _

Tony wasn’t Howard.  

Tony looked at the strap in his hands of the broken watch Harley had swiped from his sister.  Next to him was a tablet with JARVIS, just waiting for him to speak again. He could remember what was in the garage.  He could remember what was still missing of the half started projects. He remembered the potato gun and the box of electromagnets.

_ “Give him a stealth mode.  Cool, right?” _

“Hey, JARVIS.  Open an order list.  We have some supplies to find.”

“Of course, Sir.”

_ “It’s limited edition.” _

“Start with Dora the Explorer watches.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know if there are any scenes or characters you want to see wrapped up from IM3 or lead up to Captain America Winter Soldier.


	3. Overlooked Diamond

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phil considers Happy’s contribution to Tony’s life after he learns of IM 3 events.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got awesome comments from Rikas and had to post this.

 

Phil glared at the nurse.  She was too preoccupied tutting at Clint’s ankle than at giving him directions.  Clint was tired and trying to escape her attentions. In a moment, he’d retreat into the vents.  The archer hated attention when he was injured. Phil needed to send him home for a few weeks. Laura was better at making him rest when he was injured.

First, he wanted to check in with Harold “Happy” Hogan.  He’d promised Tony. Considering how little they had been able to do about the Mandarin fiasco, he thought it the least he could do.  After all, the Mandarin was a terrorist, not a supervillain. Not until yesterday, anyway.

Hogan was a mystery to SHIELD.  Phil knew Fury had tried for years to place someone as Tony’s driver.  Not necessarily only as a spy, though that would have been his justification.  Fury cared about Tony a great deal. Howard had been the person to bring Fury in on protecting people.  Phil personally thought Fury saw something strangely familiar in Tony Stark. A sort of kindred spirit in seeing patterns no one else could see, being able to manipulate something most people didn’t know existed.  Unlike Nick Fury, Tony Stark had never been found by someone who saw his abilities as part of his desires, as opposed to an end unto themselves.

No, Tony had found people all by himself.  James Rhodes amazed everyone, except Tony. Tony had the ability to see people who simply astounded everyone.  James Rhodes had entered college a year early and finished in 3 years. He made Colonel in less than 20 years, without losing the engineering background.  It was nearly unprecedented.

Virginia Potts had been a high school drop out.  She had fought tooth and nail to escape her father’s expectations.  She had started in a salon and learned the business inside and out. By the time Tony had rescued her from Hammer industries and a good candidate to file a potential Title VII lawsuit, she had gone through a salon, art gallery and legal office with nothing but her wits and insatiable curiosity to learn business.  Her skills in people and resource management exceeded trained professionals and her loyalty, to Tony Stark specifically, outstriped all but the most patriotic of soldiers. More than a trophy wife to run house and hearth as her father expected, she was the CEO of a large multinational corporation and was improving it beyond the results of the shrewd businessman who had been running it and the engineering genius who had tried to escape running it.

With both Pepper and Rhodes, Tony’s skill at locating exceptional people struck true.  Phil couldn’t help to wonder why he had doubted it when Hogan drove into his view. Natasha had reported him as a mediocre fighter at best.  She’d watched him spar with Tony and then fight a security guard at Hammer Inc. and unimpressed was the nicest impression.

When he had debriefed Tony after the final fight with Killian, he’d heard the real story behind the driver’s hire.

-Tony’s Flashback-

The lights were starting to make him dizzy.  Tony had tried a lot of things in his youth and while he wasn’t the paragon of virtue, he’d decided to lay off the hard drugs now that he’d taken over Stark Industries.  Still, partying with Ty was always a lot of fun. The man could dance. He could also fuck. 

Tony yanked his thoughts back with great trouble.  Whatever he’d been slipped was working fast. He could barely keep his feet under him.  Blearly, he crashed towards the exit. Ty was somewhere above him, on the second floor.

Hands grabbed him and helped him upright.  He couldn’t understand, but Ty was a friend.  He let the man lead him to the exit. The cool air didn’t help much.  It was enough to see the others in the limo with Ty. He was feeling too claustrophobic.  He thought he’d suggested a taxi, but he could have dreamed those words, or they could have been illegible.  EIther way, Ty had kept trying to shove him in the limo.

One of the men came out to help and Tony decided he really didn’t want in that limo.  The man didn’t seem to care. Tony couldn’t talk his limbs into working properly and he was in the limo a moment later.  Ty kept smirking in the corner as Tony tried to sit on his lap. Ty’s lap was safe. But the other men were grabby, handsy.  

Their hand on his junk through his pants shocked him enough to burn some of the confusion away.  Later he would remember he was mad at Ty. He had seen Ty dancing with a young 20-something who looked too much like Tony for him to be comfortable.  Later he would remember asking Ty to help him and the man laughing with the three strangers. Later he would hear them claim he was asking to get pounded into.  Later, he would remember this scene.

At the time all he understood was the car screeching as it turned a 360.  Ty was yelling, the men were yelling. Tony wasn’t listening, He was bolting out the door.  

He couldn’t have been terribly coordinated since he wasn’t sure which direction the ground was as he dove out of the car.  Harsh lights told him there were other cars. Large arms encased him and rolled them both out of the way.

The spinning had him terribly nauseous.  He could hear someone talking again, but the sound was lost in the whine of his ears.  The night enveloped him.

JARVIS woke him the next morning.  He was on the couch of his condo in New York.  He sat up quickly, groaning as the headache made itself known.  A glass of water appeared in front of him. He probably would have drowned in it had it not been snatched away after half drunk.

The grump sitting in front of him sighed and asked if there was anyone he should call.  Tony shook his head before the man vanished out the door before Tony could say anything.

-End FLashback-

Tony had explained to Phil how he had broken up with Ty the previous night at the club and the man hadn’t liked it.  How Harold Hogan had been Ty’s driver for over a year and had stopped the car that night. Happy had gotten him home somehow and stayed with him all night.  It had taken Tony over a month to locate the man, since Ty had not only fired him, but blacklisted him as a driver or security guard. 

When Tony located him, the ex-boxer was almost bankrupt, living in a hole in the worst part of town.  He hadn’t really known what to expect when he offered Harry the job. Nearly ten years later the man was still proving his worth beyond the fold.

Apparently, Happy had been working as security/driver for Pepper temporarily while Tony was holed up in Malibu when he’d thought someone acted suspiciously.  He’d been instrumental in Tony learning about Tennessee and AIM. Even near dying, he’d found the vital clue to point out to Tony. 

Clint had asked why he was called Happy.  Tony had snorted. Phil could understand the question, the man rarely smiled.  Tony’s explanation had been heartbreaking in many ways, but it made Phil want to connect more with this man who Tony trusted so much.

Finally a nurse directed them to the correct room.  Phil had met Happy a few times. Although there was nothing different about his face, Phil could see it.  Somehow, Tony was right.

“ _ He’s one of the few people who, whenever he’s near me, he’s always happy, just being there. _ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Laura is referred to briefly in "That's What Teammates Do" but not by name.
> 
> As always, request a scene between IM3 and CAWS if you want it.


	4. HumDrum to Happy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sort of a Companion to Chapter 3 from Happy's perspective.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder: Happy's full name is Harold "Harry" "Happy" Hogan.
> 
> Hi guys, So I'm currently taking my Quals for a PhD program. In my department that means writing a NIH proposal in 3 weeks. It is taking over my life! I have had this done for a while so I"m posting it, but I'm focused on my Quals until after the first week in June. Wish me luck!

 

No one would tell him anything.  In his experience, that was a bad sign.  The news had said Tony was dead, but Harry knew better.  Afghanistan hadn’t killed Tony. Some idiot with a chopper wasn’t going to manage it, especially in Tony’s own home.

Tony had always been resourceful.  When they had first met, Harry had wondered what the hell this bright kid even saw in Tiberius Stone.  The man was a grade A bastard. Being a good bouncer and a decent driver, Harry got most of the night jobs driving Ty to whatever bar scene the rich kid wanted.  Tony was way too good for him. For one thing, Tony was actually trying to run his father’s company while Stone was still letting his father’s company pay for his lifestyle.  Granted the kid wanted to do anything but run a fortune 500. Tony had the look of a kid who wanted to forget life but couldn’t.

Another thing that separated Stone from Stark was intelligence.  Tony was bright. He’d fixed the car Stone wanted to ride in a few minutes and with barely any tools.  Harry had been very impressed. He’d done much of the maintenance on that particular car himself. After that, he’d decided he’d liked Tony Stark.

The night he chose Tony over employment was etched in his memory too.  Poor kid was so high, he had to look down to see the clouds. It wasn’t exactly the first time for these two.  It was the first time they’d brought friends along. Originally, Harry had grimaced but let the two rich kids do as they do.  It wasn’t until he realized that Tony was actively fighting the newcomers, that he realized this was closer to gang rape than orgy. That he couldn’t abide.

The spinout had left everyone pretty dizzy, but Tony had already been spinning, of a sort, so it didn’t actually seem to do his balance any harm.  He’d shot out of the car so fast, Harry was certain the kid could fly. Naturally he’d followed. It wasn’t like he wanted to hear what Stone thought of his actions.  Lucky he did, since the next instant he had to roll Tony across the highway and down the embankment before a car flattened him. 

Harry had dropped Tony off a dozen times, making the choice of destination rather simple.  Tony had slept most of it off by 8 am and Harry let himself out when the security voice told him someone was on their way. 

The walk home took over four hours.  Since he knew a pink slip was waiting for him, he was in no real rush.  One more job down the drain. Harry wasn’t terribly sorry to see it go.

A nurse rushed into the hospital room, jerking him out of the past.  She ignored his request for information. He sighed. They must have him on something good.  He rarely lost himself in the past anymore. He didn’t need to, with Tony being his boss.

When he had opened the door that night a month after he’d lost his job, he had expected it to be an old hang out, maybe with a bouncer position.  Or an old rival come to laugh at him. Maybe even a lost delivery boy. He certainly hadn’t expected Tony Stark to be standing there. 

Harry hadn’t seen him in a month, but the kid looked no worse for it all.  The kid looked up at him with a great big grin. “Hum D!”

He almost shut the door in his face.  He hated that nickname. Tony’s face had fallen immediately at his glare.  Tony had always called him Harry. He hadn’t even known the kid knew Stone’s nickname for him.  

“Hogan!  Sorry! I thought… It doesn’t matter, I guess.  I mean…” Harry rolled his eyes as the kid flailed about looking for whatever it was he wanted to say.

“Get in here, before you attract the wrong attention.  This ain’t a nice neighborhood.” Harry gestured for him to enter the crappy apartment.  Tony scrambled in immediately. He stood in the middle next to the bed, looking a bit lost.  

Harry sighed.  He hadn’t signed up for this.  “Well? What on Earth are you doing here?”

Tony’s eye zipped back to him.  “I was looking for you.”

“Got that.  Why?”

“Well, you were fired, right?”  Tony’s question was bemused with a dash of question.  Harry simply waited to see what he wanted. “I mean, Ty didn’t make finding you easy.  I brought the Talisman. We could pop the hood?”

The lure of the Cadillac was almost enough to derail his thoughts.  Not quite. “Stark, what do you want? Yes, I lost my job. No, I do not want a reward for being a decent guy with morals.”

“A job.”  Tony burst out.  Harry blinked at him in confusion.  “Not-not that I want a job, I’m here to offer you one.”

The young twenty-something suddenly looked even younger.  Harry just stared at him a moment as he began to babble, “I know you were a driver for Ty and you were something of a bouncer or muscle or whatever, but you got me out of there and you knew what to do and you have always been good with stuff even when I do something unexpected and you-”  He abruptly cut himself off. 

Harry was starting to get the impression that this was how Tony Stark was even when he wasn’t bar-hopping.  Jeez, the kid had two speeds, off and fast. Then his mind caught up with the conversation. He was being offered a job.

A job with someone he actually kind of liked.  He didn’t think he’d ever had a job he liked before.  In fact, his sister was the only person he could remember ever really liking and being around.  He was good at fighting and it kept the bullies and addicts away from him and his sister. It also landed him the bouncer position, which had led to the boxing.  But he was no good at either apparently. He was a decent driver, good record, so he’d applied and gotten past all the legal hoops. But then he ended up with Tiberius Stone for a boss.  

“So you wanted to offer me a job?”  Harry had to speak since Stark wasn’t going to continue.  

Tony Stark shrugged and gave him a small grin.  “Yeah, I mean yes. Driver, bodyguard mix. Similar to what you did for Ty, I guess.  I could even call you Hum D if you wan-”

“Don’t!”  

Tony blinked at him in surprise.  “O-okaaaaay.”

Harry ran a hand through his hair a moment before looking at the young billionaire.  “Did Stone ever tell you the origin of that name?” Tony shrugged and shook his head.  “He decided to call me HumDrum Harry. He shortened it to Hum D.” 

Harry watched as Tony frowned in distaste.  The man was actually offended over Stone’s name-calling.  Then a megawatt smile took over his face.

“Fine, not a good name.  Hum Drum? Seriously? Probably because you were working for that loser.  Okay, I can work with that. You take this job and your new name is Happy.”

Harry had looked at the hand in surprise.  Then, to his later and eternal relief, he shook it.

Happy had been called that ever since.  Tony always introduced him as Happy, so it stuck.  Even his nieces called him Uncle Happy. Tony had changed Happy’s entire life around.  His sister was talking to him again, he was seeing his nieces. Tony had even helped his sister get out of a bad marriage with her kids.  

And Happy was free.  He earned enough in that first five years to set up a real nest egg.  One he could live off if he needed. That was why he didn’t job hunt when Tony went missing.  Tony had given him that freedom.

All his boss wanted from him was acceptance.  Happy had learned over his years that very few people saw Tony’s real persona and even fewer accepted him just as he was.  Any move Tony made was fine, because it was Tony who made it. Happy couldn’t help him get sober. Happy couldn’t heal his shoulder or remove his nightmares.  But when Tony Stark wanted a cheeseburger, Happy knew that this was a job he could do. He could get the man a cheeseburger, because if Tony Stark wanted a cheeseburger, no one needed to analyze him or criticize him.  They just needed to let him eat a fucking cheeseburger.

This was what Tony needed from Happy, whether it was Tony driving his own driver around or helping him get 6 cheeseburgers the instant he’s back on American soil.  Happy couldn’t do even 1% of what Tony could do but Happy could do this, and Tony needed him for that.

Happy wouldn’t believe Tony Stark was dead until he saw his cold body in a morgue.  The man couldn’t be gone.

A soft huff drew his attention to the door and he was surprised to see a familiar face poke in.  Even though much of his duties had shifted to Pepper temporarily, he still had met and drove the Avengers enough to recognize Clint Barton, Hawkeye.

“Found him, Phil.”  The archer ducked into the room with a relieved smile and a limp.  Happy watched as the man gingerly set himself down on the spare chair before Phil Coulson arrived.  

“Oh, thank god!  If they made this hospital more complicated, I’d expect a minotaur.”  The suit had always been an enigma to Happy. Coulson was a dichotomy, but Happy’s instincts said the man meant Tony no harm.  Tony had mourned his death and Happy was glad to have the man back, if only for Tony’s sake. 

Plus, Coulson might actually tell him news.

“Mr. Hogan, I apologize for the late visit.”  

Happy glanced at Barton before looking back at Coulson.

“So, how is the Boss?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Happy!


	5. Brothers in Arms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve is feeling a bit afloat since he landed in this time. WIth him and Natasha on slow assigment in DC, maybe now he can work through some of it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it has been a while in this series. My break-up didn't lend itself towards writing a fluffy happy familial setting such as this series. I'm back and hopefully I can finish this story and post it and CAWS in the near future :)

Steve huffed as he turned the corner.  Tasha had told him to build the illusion that he’s trying to settle in here in DC.  The idea consisted mostly to imply a break up of the Avengers. Steve didn’t understand the plan, but Tony and Tasha had both explained that his confusion would work in their favor.  Besides, the plan wasn’t a plan, if that made any sense. Steve shook his head as he turned toward the Lincoln Memorial.

Phil and Clint pulled double duty as their back up in the spy world and medical leave for Clint.  The non-plan included reactions to various scenarios while Fury slowly rooted Hydra out. Since no one knew Hydra’s structure, the best approach was the one that gave them the most flexibility to react.  

On the side, Phil had suggested to Steve that he take this time to consider himself.  He’d been in this new time for almost a year now, enough time to evaluate his acclimatization.  This was the other reason Steve ran his circuit. He thought better if his enhanced body had somewhere else to focus all the super energy.

_Great now even my thoughts sound like Tony._

Steve shook off the idle thought of his teammates still recovering from his forays into faked death and returned his thoughts to the present.  He considered the steps he’d been pursuing as he passed Lincoln and continued around Tidal Basin. His training with SHIELD had accelerated once Tony revamped his schedule.  Now, he was 55% through the main courses. With a little effort, he could complete them all by next Christmas. He anxiously awaited the leadership courses and team-building training.  When he became Captain America at the behest of the Senator, the transition lacked the traditional training a Captain would receive, a point hammered home by one Col James Rhodes. His pre-frozen education had consisted of a week at Camp Lehigh and on-the-field work.  The lack of options presented to him had force his hand there. And he truly believed he made a difference, even lacking the training. But the thought that he could have done more with proper training kept him up at night. He refused to continue with those regrets if he could help it.  

In this matter, Phil had brought something to his attention.  Phil was an experienced handler, which included evaluation of the skills of his assets.  When the man recovered enough, Steve had requested a report in the Avenger’s skill sets, including his own.  The report had been thorough and complex, but something important Phil had pointed out was a basic difference in ability between Steve and Tony.  Steve’s tactical intuition amazed the handler, but Tony’s ability and past with strategy left everyone in the dust. The billionaire could give Fury a run for his money in long-term planning and campaign work.  Due to this, Steve had started the official paperwork to make Tony second in command of the Avengers.

Fury had about dropped his eye-patch.  

Steve knew Fury cared about Tony, but the man refused to trust the engineer to make any kind of choice.  The cyclic illogic there drove Steve to distraction. In fact, his team by and large needed help. Even before the AIM fiasco Tony engaged in last week, the genius accepted the treatment as if his past crimes eclipsed any current actions.  Considering the reaction to Black Widow and Hawkeye, assassins by training, Tony’s sins were continuously blown out of proportion. And the man accepted it. It was enough to make Steve want to pull his hair out.

Tony’s ego joined Bruce’s self confidence in the corner.  And like that cornered animal, both lashed out when prodded.  The team rallied around the two geniuses whenever possible, but the underlying issue remained.

Another partnership in issues, Natasha and Clint carried baggage from their assassin days.  This load increased with Clint’s recovering trauma from Loki and Natasha’s rejection of the Red Room memories.  Phil’s return gave both a soft place to land, but the issues went ignored. Phil couldn’t fix that alone. That was another reason for splitting up the pair.  Steve worked on Tasha and Phil nailed Clint down long enough to talk. Of course, for him to up hold his end of that, Natasha had to actually be in DC for more than an hour a week.

Steve huffed in irritation.  Thor was the most stable of all of them, but that assessment came largely from the fact that he was also mostly unknown.  Phil had been quite frank when he said that the evaluation of Thor beyond the bare minimum was utter hogwash. They could theorize until the cows came home, but until the man actually sat down and talked with someone, their understanding of him was incomplete at best.  Idly, Steve wondered if that was the burr under Fury’s tail during the lab argument.

He set that thought aside as he spotted a runner he’d recognized.  He’d been running this circuit for over three weeks now so he was starting to identify repeat people, like the hot cocoa set up guy.  He’d steered clear of other runners though, not really eager for fan meet up to interrupt the only regular paced exercise he had at the moment.  He missed the gym at the Tower.

Most of the runners fell into two categories; late for work or training up.  Neither of those types were particularly talkative during the run, usually being slightly out of breath, and both would glare at him balefully if he passed them and not in good humor.  This runner, Steve had noticed the third day in, usually started a bit after Steve and finished a bit before Steve. They didn’t run exactly the same loop, but Steve had been watching long enough to get a sense for his loop.  It was also enough to note that the runner paced himself and was roughly the same speed each day, meaning less likely training up and more likely just running for the heck of it as exercise.

As the weather changed, the runner tossed on different shirts.  Many of them had Air Force printed across them in some way. Steve had been running the guy’s loop for two days, but apparently he skipped them both.  Still, he’d appeared this morning.

Steve set his normal pace and came up behind him as they crossed the bridge on Ohio Dr.  “On your left.”

He let himself sink into an easy lope.  He found the runner again in front of the Roosevelt Memorial “On your left.”

“Uh huh, on my left.  Got it.” The runner’s tone wasn’t angry, maybe a touch aggravated, but friendly competition between soldiers invigorated you.  That’s what Dum Dum used to say when asked how he kept exercising with Captain America without getting fed up.

He caught up to the runner in front of the Lincoln Memorial.  This time the Runner heard him coming.

“Don’t say it!  Don’t you say it!”

Steve hid his grin behind the mild panting, “On your left.”

“Come on!”  That worked him into a mild sprint temporarily.  

He found the runner panting under a tree near the end of Madison Dr.  “Need a medic?”

The guy laughed and Steve felt something in him relax.  Just another military grunt like him.

“I need a new set of lungs.”  He kept laughing breathily. “Dude,you just ran like 13 miles in 30 minutes.”

“Guess I got a late start.”  

“Really?”  The laughing seemed to still overcome the runner’s need to breathe.  The sass took even higher priority. “You should be ashamed of yourself.  Should take another lap.”

Steve grinned as the runner winced at his diaphragm complained.  He looked back up at Steve and gave him a playful grin. “Did you just take it?  I assume you just took it.”

Steve shook his head as his humor.  “What unit you with?”

“58th pararescue.”  Not a group that had been around in his day.  He was still catching up on all the different military changes.   “But now I’m working down at the VA.”

Steve nodded, not a bad homecoming for a soldier.  The runner put up his hand in a request for a lift up.

“Sam Wilson.”  

“Steve Rogers.”

Wilson grunted as Steve lifted him effortlessly to his feet, “I kind of put that together.”  

Steve just grinned.  He hadn’t expected to last long anonymous in Washington DC.  Captain America in the nation’s capital, right.

“Must have freaked you out coming home after the whole defrosting thing.”

Steve hid a wince.  That was a bit deep for a first meet.  He’d learned that most vets played off the bad and listed the crazy, “Takes some getting used to.”

Steve shook his hand and turned, “Good to meet you, Sam.”  Hopefully, maybe, he’d found a buddy if not a running partner, at least a cool down partner.

“Its your bed right.”  

Steve halted.  He glanced back in question, “What’s that?”

“Your bed.  Its too soft.”  Wilson walked over.  “When I was over there I’d sleep on the ground.  Use rocks for pillow, like a caveman. Now I’m home…”

Steve felt that resonate.  Even in his apartment with Bucky or his Ma, the mattress had been hard springs or a pile of cloth.  Then in the war it was a bedroll, just a blanket between you and the dirt. Steve glanced up at Sam.

“Lying on a marshmallow.”  Steve almost didn’t speak, but no one, no one had made sense like this.  “Feel like I’m gonna sink right through the floor.”

Sam is nodding at that.  Steve hadn’t connected with anyone like this since the war.  He loved his team, but Tony had been right, they were not soldiers.  Soldiers understood each other in ways no one else could.

“How long?”

Sam waved a bit, “Two Tours.”

Steve wasn’t sure if that meant 4 years or 8.  During the War, you’d be lucky to survive 4 years, never mind eight, and with the draft you didn’t get sent home.

“You must miss the good old days, huh?”

Steve backed up.  That was an abrupt change of topic.  A topic he was well over talked out on sometimes.

“Well, things aren't so bad.  Food’s a lot better, we used to boil everything.”  He’d learned that no one thought anything good happened during the war.  Everyone was sicker, poorer and miserable. Steve had learned to go along with it, if only because people would keep needling him until he admitted that the current version of whatever he was remembering was better.

Not that he didn’t like the decrease in illness, “No polio’s good.”

“Internet, so helpful!”  And JARVIS, whom he missed living here.  All that information where before you were limited to a library you could walk to, or if you were lucky a school nearby.

“Been trying to catch up.”  That was a prompt for suggestions.  Steve had gotten a lot of random suggestions that way.  It was much more interesting than the balanced approach Tony or SHIELD had given him.  

“Marvin Gaye, 1972 Trouble Man Soundtrack.  Everything you missed jammed into 1 album.”

Steve grinned as he pulled out his notepad to write it down.  He grinned as he looked at his watch. Almost time to meet up with Natasha.  

“Until next time, Sam.”

“Yeah, I run most mornings.”

“If you can call that running.”

“Oh, its on now, man.”

“I can take it.”

The banter felt so refreshing.  It reminded him of Bucky.

_Remember when I made you ride the cyclone at Coney Island?_

Stave waved a bit behind him as he jogged towards where he left his motorcycle.

It was nice to have a friend.

* * *

Steve gasped as he flung himself out of the pool.  He heard Natasha walk over.

“You know, there are easier ways to poke yourself with a cattle prod.”

Steve shuddered, curling into a ball trying to drag his breathing back under control.  He didn’t want this debilitating fear anymore. He hated it. It reminded him of before the serum.

Natasha squatted next to him, handing him a towel.  Steve grasped it and pressed his face against it to shake the feeling of ice in his veins.  

“How do you do it?”  Steve’s question earned him a confused look, “Shake your fears.”

Natasha blinked at him.  “I don’t.”

That could mean almost anything.  That she had no fears. That she never shook them.  Steve shook his head.

“Great, let me know how that works sometime.”

Steve hauled himself up and looked at the pool, debating whether it was worth it to try one more time before calling it a day on this.  He just knew he wouldn’t let it beat him.

Natasha was studying him.  He finally decided he’d looked like a fool long enough and walked over to the chair with his things.  Probably closer to stomped over, if he was being honest with himself, but he didn’t really feel like being so right now.  Life sucked in general so he was going to suck back.

Okay, even in his head that didn’t make any sense.  Good thing Tony wasn’t around to hear it.

As the elevator closed around him, he saw Natasha staring at him from across the pool.  She hadn’t moved when he did.

She hadn’t moved at all.

* * *

Steve stood outside the room.  He heard some soft voices. A female’s voice floated down the empty hallway, “The thing is I think it's getting worse.”

Steve heard the despondency, the fear in that voice.  Part of him instinctively went towards it to help. Part of him went towards it for another reason.  “A cop pulled me over last week, he thought I was drunk”

The group in the room was an oddball bunch.  Some clean, some scruffy, some relaxed, some tense...all military.  The woman talking was near the back. The curve of her back as she leaned over her knees spoke of a need for comfort.  Some of the others were watching her, but many were looking down.

“I swerved to miss a plastic bag. I thought it was an IED.”  Her tone of self-recrimination sounded familiar.

Sam was at a podium at the front of the group.  “Some stuff you leave there, other stuff you bring back.”  Steve couldn’t maintain eye contact. But Sam wasn’t finished “It's our job to figure out how to carry it.”

That sounded familiar.  The weight a soldier carries.  That Steve still carried. “Is it gonna be in a big suitcase or in a little man-purse? It's up to you.”

Around the room people were nodding along with him.  Steve could see some of them draw strength from that.  

The meeting broke soon after that.  Steve ducked away. He wasn’t feeling up for a lot of people right now.  He waited out of sight as Sam made contact with each person. Sometimes that meant a hand shake, sometimes just a smile, but Steve could see that everyone in the group felt recognized.  Steve heard Sam call them by name and more than one agreed to return next week.

“Look who it is.  The running man.” Instead of walking over to greet Steve, Sam spoke as he walked to the pamphlets on the table.  Somehow, that actually made Steve relax. Like he wasn’t the center of the attention but still important.

Steve wandered over as Sam organized some of the brochures.  “Caught the last few minutes. It's pretty intense.” Steve leaned against the wall.

“Yeah, brother, we all got the same problems.”  Sam’s lose tone relaxed everything. “Guilt. Regret.”  Something in Sam’s tone as he said that last part caught Steve’s attention.

“You lose someone?”

Sam nodded, “My wingman, Riley.”  Steve’s stomach clenched to not remember Bucky’s fall.  His loss. “Flying a night mission.Standard PJ rescue op, nothing we hadn't done a thousand times before, till RPG knock Riley's dumb ass out of the sky.”  

The scream as Bucky fell from the train played in his mind again.  He wished Thor was here. Thor always made Steve feel safe in some way.   Like the leadership burden was understood and shared and Steve didn’t have to be the invincible Captain America.  Instead he focused on Sam.

Sam continued, unaware of Steve’s mental sidetrack.  “Nothing I could do.”

Then in a quieter voice.  The voice that you mostly say to yourself in the dead of night because its too painful to hear, but you have to say it anyway.  “It's like I was up there just to watch.”

The look on Bucky’s face.  The last look Steve saw was burned into his eyelids.  He felt that to his gut. All his strength, all his preparation and he was on that train to watch his brother fall.

“I’m sorry.”  The words tore from Steve’s throat.  

Sam nodded, “After that, I had really hard time finding a reason for being over there, you know?”

Steve swallowed.  This had become heavy fast.  A bit too heavy. Steve glanced around, looking for inspiration.  “But you're happy now, back in the world?” He said as his eyes landed on the flyers.

Sam smiled, leaning back and looking around playfully, “Hey, the number of people giving me orders is down to about zero. So, hell, yeah.”  Steve could see the humor sparkling in Sam’s eyes. Steve couldn’t help the smile he returned at Sam’s irreverent behavior.

“You thinkin’ about getting out?”  Sam’s innocent question held the thread of good humor still.

“No.”  Steve knee-jerk answer came, but as Steve said it, he remembered the thinking he’d been doing.  “I don’t know.” He hadn’t admitted that to anyone. Afterall, Captain America was supposed to be for life.  He hadn’t understood that meant forever when he was 21.

But, on the other side, “To be honest, I don't know what I would do with myself if I did.”

That was the sticking point for Steve.  Everyone he knew was intertwined with Captain America.  He had no formal education past high school. He really didn’t even have any hobbies that could translate to a career.  He actually didn’t have many hobbies at all.

Still, Sam gave him an incrdulous look, like he’d missed the obvious, “Ultimate fighting?” Steve couldn’t help the laugh that burst out at that one.  “It's just a great idea off the top of my head.” He had to admit, Sam’s sentence was a bit of a no-brainer. The logical use of his abilities for a career.

“But seriously, you could do whatever you want to do.”  Sam’s earnest follow-up had Steve feeling a bit bashful.  He’d never been good at what he wanted to do. It was somehow always out of reach.  He wanted to be a good son, but his medical bills kept his mother worked to the bone.  He wanted to be a good soldier, but his frailty kept him from even getting a chance. He wanted to be a good brother, but Bucky died anyway.  He wanted to be a good leader, but he didn’t have the background for it.

Then Sam asked him a question.

“What makes you happy?”  

That was the question.  Steve knew it wasn’t supposed to be a stumper.  Everyone should be able to answer that question.  Apparently everyone but Steve. He thought about saying saving people, but did that actually make him happy?  He considered and discarded fighting, training, even bantering with Tony and Thor. Did they actually make him happy?  What about his hobbies. He really only had one outside of the Shield, art. Did that make him happy? It certainly kept him busy.  And it helped him process. But happy?

“I don’t know.”

* * *

Sam watched the national icon walk out of hte VA.  Steve wasn’t a treasure right now, he was a lost, wandering man.  Sam had asked that question of most of his vets at one point of another.

_What makes you happy_?  

He got mixed results, but the answer usually told him more than it didn’t about the person.  Did they talk about the war or about home? Something out of reach, or something they could achieve.  Answering that question said a lot about a person.

Not knowing what makes you happy is actually a common problem.  Usually it has some combination of three causes: first that the person thinks of happy as 100% happy; second lack of goal or of movement towards that goal and third lack of desire to be happy.  Steve’s answer, the look on Steve’s face had sent off red flags in Sam’s mind. It felt uncomfortably like the third cause was taking up a lot of realastate. It was a common enough response to losing people.  Survivor’s Guilt, Sam heard it called frequently. Desire and want are two very different things, but in this case, he’d not certain Steve is even thinking he wanted to be happy.

He knew the man ran, but now he wondered how that compared to his peak physical performance.  He never ran with a buddy.

Sam glanced down at the form he’d started filling out on Steve.  His training, post-air force, had been rather quick, but he’d found experience to be a great teacher on this topic.  He’d completed his Master’s in a year and a half. And now that year and a half of training was screaming at him to reach out to Steve.

He hoped he saw the man again.  He hoped he could help.

Every soldier deserves that.

* * *

The next morning Sam met up with Steve as he rounded Ohio Dr.  Three times the man paced him and Sam was laughing as he did it.

Sam dragged him to his favorite cocoa vendor after.

Time to make a new friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story has two more chapters planned and then Winter soldier makes an appearance


	6. New Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve Meets the STRIKE team

Steve huffed as he followed Rumlow into the gym.  Fury had a mission coming down the pipeline for the STRIKE team and he wanted Natasha and Steve to join.  He’d already informed them that Steve would lead so Steve contacted Agent Rumlow. He wanted a run down with the group before the actual mission.

“So we gonna do a group hug or you got something else in mind?”  Rumlow’s quip had Steve smirking back at him. He’d read Rumlow’s file.  The whole thing. He’d learned from his mistake with Tony.

Rumlow’s background was impressive.  The entire STRIKE team had very impressive records.  Stee had spent nearly two days reading. With his memory, he found a disturbing trend.  Nearly all members of the team came in through one of four agents. Several members had very similar backgrounds, too.

Several also had odd gaps in time in their history.  Steve had finally sent the files to Tony via Phil, who visited Natasha periodically with updates on Clint.  Tony hadn’t gotten back to him. Until then, Steve had to connect to the team enough to work with them.

“Nah, I thought we’d sing some songs first.”  Steve brushed past Rumlow as the man stared at him.  He entered the gym to find the rest of hte STRIKE team hanging out.  The relaxing stances told Steve more than attention posture would have.  A dozen members were grouped by personal relationships. Steve located two members whose files hadn’t raised red flags in his mind.  THey came forward immediately. The others took a moment, in groups of threes and fours.

Steve identified each of them from their photos in the files, but as they walked forward, Steve picked out Rilley’s complete trust in Johnson and Galsh.  That trio walked as one and should be kept together. Rollins stood with Strivastava, Findley and Dahl. Steve noted that Rollins met Rumlow’s eyes briefly and marked him as second in command to Rumlow.  Hardison and Christoff hung back, sneers in place. Steve had a battle in front of him.

“Gentlemen, I’m Steve Rogers.  I’m in charge of this training run.”  Steve grinned a moment before picking his shield off his back.  “No weapons, in what you’re wearing.”

The group eyed him in interest.  Good, he had their attention. He looked over at the obstacle course.  He’d asked the trainers to set it up for distraction training. Steve looked at them.

“And I’m blind folded.”

The team smirked at each other in excitement.  Steve could see they were looking forward to taking him down a peg.  Beat him to the end of the training course would be just the thing. So Steve threw them a curve ball.

“Rollins and Rumlow are custody transport.”  Meaning the end of the course is jail and Rollins and RUmlow were the prisoners they were to capture and get there.  Steve learned about the different ways bored agents spiced up training courses from Natasha and Clint.

Davis didn’t even wait a breath before jumping Rollins.  His partner helped as Steve wrapped a blind-fold around his head.  He heard Findley and Dahl miss Rumlow as the man ducked away. Steve took a moment to let his ears adjust.  His senses were enough to let him navigate without his sight, and he’d memorized the obstacle course already.  He’d noted a few changes when he’d walked in, but he’d improvise.

* * *

Steve grinned at the team as they panted in front of him.  They’d finished the course a moment ago and Steve had removed his blindfold.  Rumlow and Rollins knew their team well, but Steve had factored that in when he chose the top two commanders as the target.  Both dodged their team well, but Steve was there to receive the human footballs. They never had either men thoroughly contained, but they got them both to the end goal within the thirty minute marker.  Everyone was flushed with excitement, talking about the great moves and parts they did well. Steve noted that Rumlow and Rollins took their lose with grace, but Steve saw anger in there.

He saw a few of the members eye Rumlow uncertainly.  A few of them were thoroughly enjoying the one-up that they accomplished.  Steve suddenly missed his team. Awash with homesickness for a team that genuinely supported each other.

Steve knew exactly what would have happened with the Avengers; Clint would have changed sides twice, Bruce would be offering to make the “captives” favorite cookies, with Natasha of course; Thor would have been cheering everyone up; Steve and Natasha would be discussing how to make it harder next time; and Tony would be crowing about Clint’s activities and cheering in excitement.  

Win or lose, his team supported and joked the same.  With them it was about learning, competing only to be better.  But as he watched this group, he could see a few who would gladly oust Rumlow and Rollins, and a few who were afraid of their leaders.  It made him even less happy to be working with this team. He vowed to keep a closer eye on Natasha when this mission happened.

* * *

After working with the STRIKE team, meeting Sam for their run was a breath of fresh air in a stale room.  Steve let himself lap the air force jogger four times before he felt like he could breathe again. The last leg he paced Sam and bought him a coffee as the counselor regained the use of his lungs.  

Steve rolled onto his back on the grass as Sam huffed and tried to inhale the coffee at the same time.

“You sure you worked it out of your system?”  Sam’s question had Steve glancing at him from the ground.  Sam waved, “Maybe you’d better go again. Just to be sure.”

Steve chuckled.  “I think I’m good.”

“Good?”  Sma snorted.  “Yeah, good. You ran your usual 13 miles in like 15 minutes.  The hell man?”

“Nah, just working off some steam.”  Steve felt his body bounce back and he rolled up to sit next to Sam.

“Next time let’s put a chariot behind you.  You can do tours.”

Steve grinned and laughed.  He reached out for the hot cocoa he’d left on the bench next to Sam.  

“Seriously, the new team is that bad?”  Sam’s question caused something in Steve to relax.  He didn’t even know why really. He loved the Avengers, they were his team, but somehow Sam had him relaxing in ways he couldn’t around the team.  It reminded him of Kerns from Col. Rhodes’ hell camp.

“The new team is great, perfect even.”

“But they’re not your team.”

Steve shook his head.  He stared at his cup a moment, “They are the best of the best.  I expected competition.”

“But…?”

Steve downed the rest of the cocoa.  “It nothing. Just more of a cutting edge than I expected.”

Sam nodded.  Steve sighed and rolled to his feet.  “Oh, thanks for the suggestion. You were right, adrenaline did help with the nerves.”

Steve had mentioned as casually as he could that he was having trouble with an irrational anxiety.  He hadn’t said it was water specifically, but he’d hinted that he’d like a method to at least work with it in combat scenario.  Sam proposed the idea that part of the reason Steve was so anxious was because he was focusing on the anxiety itself and because he was actually safe enough to focus on it.  Long term, Sam had several suggested readings for Steve on shellshock, or PTSD as it was now called. This type of anxiety could be a mild form. Short term, Sam suggested Steve would have better luck checking battle readiness for this anxiety by ramping up his adrenaline and have a different task to work on.  Steve had found that worked well enough.

Sam reached out a hand and Steve pulled him to his feet just as a car pulled up next to them.  Both looked over as the red head leaned forward.

“Hey, fellas. Either one of you know where the Smithsonian is? I'm here to pick up a fossil.”  Natasha’s quip had both grinning and Steve waved at Sam as he jogged over to the car.

He looked back to see Sam eyeing both the car and the driver, “How’re ya doing?”

Steve couldn’t help the grin that widened at Sam’s cheerful curiosity and admiration.

“You can’t run everywhere.”

As Natasha pulled away Steve glanced in the mirror to see the man smile after them.

“Meeting new people?  Phil will be proud.”

Steve laughed.

It was good to have a new friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that completes the set up for CAWS. I have that in the wings and it should be posted next week
> 
> Also Kerns is a character from Rhodey's training story, [ Camp Hell ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16090574)

**Author's Note:**

> I'm writing chapters for Happy and Harley. Are their any requests?


End file.
